Muramasa's Legacy
by KisekiMa
Summary: Kiritsugu Emiya did not suspect that the lone survivor from Fuyuki great fire is a descendant of the legendary swordsmith. Grasping this one last chance to change the future, he hid the precious relic within the boy's body… Soon Shirou will participate in the next Grail War and face his family's oldest legacy. Will his blade cut through fate itself?
1. Prologue: The Heart of the Sword

**Muramasa's Legacy**

Kiritsugu Emiya did not suspect that the lone survivor from Fuyuki great fire is a descendant of the legendary swordsmith. Grasping this one last chance to change the future, he hid the precious relic within the boy's body… Soon Shirou will participate in the next Grail War and face his family's oldest legacy. Will his blade cut through fate itself?

* * *

**Prologue: The Heart of the Sword**

_Kiritsugu smiled bitterly through tears. Along with the boy's hand, he grasped the last one tiny bit of hope. Broken as he was, he still dared to believe..._

* * *

"To find someone like him in this cursed place…"

Kiritsugu was not actually able to think, when he blindly wandered through the ruins in search of survivors. Like a walking dead among wraiths, he was willing to cling to something – anything! – that would not let him break completely.

And there he was, a frightened child, trapped in the rubble. The boy's red hair was covered with dust, his empty eyes staring at the overwhelmingly dark sky. His little hand reached out to silently ask for help.

Emiya grasped those little fingers, happy that at least one person still lived in this raging inferno of death and despair…

And then the relic, which was hanging, almost forgotten, at Kiritsugu's belt, responded to this random child. It resonated with a weird kind of energy, as if the both of them were walking the same path of magic.

_A sword can react like that only to a creator of swords._

Frowning in disbelief, Kiritsugu took a moment to examine the boy's aura and circuits. He had already seen – or rather felt – magic of this special kind. Actually, large amounts of it were still present in the air, as the main cause of destruction around.

"Could it be…?"

Maybe it supposed to end like this? After all he had seen so far, Kiritsugu was more eager to believe in a cruel twist of fate or a bigger plan, than in simple accidents.

Emiya unsheathed the sword. It was not only a stunningly beautiful, ancient blade, and a precious relic, but also a core that had let him summon a powerful familiar for the Grail War. A Servant, who had vanished quietly after performing his lat task, not so long ago.

When the Third War had ended with failure, the Three Founding Families realized there's something wrong with the Grail. They did not want to risk summoning Heroic Spirits as Servants anymore, afraid that they can free themselves from their control. But they did not want to abandon the Grail either, so they decided to modify the summoning system.

To achieve it, they needed new kind of relics, which should be relatively easy to obtain in this Far East land, away from the hostile eye of the Church. But the perfect items should also be surrounded by legends to give them power. The choice seemed obvious at the moment: Japanese swords, sacred weapons that held within the souls of their former owners, met all the requirements.

So the mages merged the Servant summoning system with an old art of local sages - the ability to manifest the Heart of Things. Materializing a Tokuen Danshi, the sword warrior-deity, and fitting one into a class container, turned out to be easier than expected.

The mages were pleased. They wasted less energy on maintaining this new type of Servants, but still enough to activate the Third Magic in the end. Also, the entire process seemed safer, both for the surroundings and the participants.

It was much better than that, actually. Kiritsugu had witnessed it personally. His own magnificent Saber was also quite reliable and easy to control. The Mage Killer could say that everything was going smoothly and according to plan during the Fourth Grail War…

Until that cursed Servant of Tokiomi Tohsaka went rogue.

"He and the priest…"

Emiya suspected that those two won't give up their twisted wishes so easily and will do anything to resume the brutally disturbed war. To secure their future win, they would probably try to find and destroy other powerful relics.

But the former Einzbern Master won't give them satisfaction of claiming HIS sword. He didn't really care about the blade's legend or worth. Even the fact that Saber did well, loyal to the very end, was a secondary matter right now.

For a long moment, Emiya only kept staring intensively at the weapon in his hand, like he was trying to break through the barrier of time and space and get all the answers he so desperately needed.

Was he allowed to bind destiny of this innocent boy to the ancient soul residing in this blade?

_If those two cooperate, maybe even fate can be changed?_

Kiritsugu smiled bitterly through tears. Along with the boy's hand, he grasped the last one tiny bit of hope. Broken as he was, he still dared to believe… No, he wished that…

With a look of determination in his eyes, Emiya decided to act - to challenge the machinations of fate one more time. After all, there was no better place for the sword than under care of a descendant of such legendary swordsmith.

Willingly or not, one day they will have to find their own answers.

* * *

**Ten years later**

In the underground workshop of her mansion, the young head of the Tohsaka family entered the summoning circle.

"Everything's ready. My mana is at its peak now. I'll get a Saber for sure!"

Rin was really optimistic about this summoning. After all the troubles she went through to obtain that particular sword, made in the Heian era, immortalized in poems and desired by many for its unparallel beauty, she hoped to draw a powerful card in the Grail game. Who could possibly rival her chosen sword, in all its awesomeness?

Of course, that legendary Mikazuki Munechika was older (not much, though!), but the specialists agreed that her relic is superior, from the point of view of perfection of forging technique and condition.

_Still, the fame gives boosts to a Servant, right?_

Shaking off such ridiculous thoughts, Tohsaka took a deep breath and placed the blade in the centre of the old summoning circle. She's been told that Touken Danshi, even in form of Servants, don't need such kind of drawings or the old ritual formula, but she felt the need to recite it anyway. It was like a tribute to her father, and their ancestors before him, who gave up everything to preserve the noble traditions of magecraft.

"For the elements, silver and iron…"

First the lines inside the circle started emitting a pure white light, stronger with every word added to the spell.

"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill…"

Then the cherry petals appeared out of nowhere – a clear sign that the ancient magic of saniwas' activated as well.

"My will creates your body…"

This was it! Now the sword disappeared from Rin's sight, completely covered in twirling petals.

"…and your sword creates my destiny."

The petals went higher and higher into the air, and the pressure in the room became unbearable. It was a proof that something insanely powerful is near!

"Come forth from the circle of binding!"

And when the hurricane of magical energy and cherry petals finally fell down...

"O-ho, ho, that certainly was surprising!"

"Huh?" Rin blinked, not believing her own eyes.

Her Servant was surprisingly slim, white-haired and clearly attached to a crane motif in its every possible form. Even his white clothes, similar to an outfit worn probably by a samurai from very ancient times, made him look like a shapeshifting bird, which decided to visit the realm of men for a while.

Even after noticing all those details, Rin still hesitated, not sure if the summoning went as planned.

No, the same crane motif from the blade's tsuba was now attached to the man's clothes, in form of a golden buckle, so there was no place for mistakes. This guy WAS the manifestation of the sword's heart. He would probably look elegant, noble even, if not the fact that he was laying flat on the floor, with his face down and his clothes wrapped around him like a wet towel.

After a moment of tense silence, the freshly summoned Servant looked up at Tohsaka, and chuckled, ignoring his not very fortunate position. Even his eyes, mysteriously golden, were smiling to the girl.

"Yo! I can see that you, too, are surprised, my new Master!" Another disturbingly cheerful chuckle. "You know, there is a reason why saniwas put the sword upright into the ground before manifesting its heart. No one likes to land with a face to the ground… That glowing circle on the floor did not help either."

"Oh." Tohsaka frowned, as always trying to hide her embarrassment behind a scary face. "But the summoning worked fine, I guess?"

"It did." The man stood up at last and brushed off the dust from his sleeves. They, indeed, resembled crane's wings, both in shape and color. "You've just robbed me of my dramatic entrance, that's all."

"You've been summoned to fight in the Grail War, not to impress anyone."

He sighed, pretending to feel heartbroken.

"You don't look like someone who avoids a bit of thrill in life, Master, so what's with such boring welcoming lines?"

"This is not about 'thrill' – it's about trust." Rin winced, more and more annoyed with every passing minute. "And I can't trust you not knowing who exactly are you."

"Oh, forgive me, I thought it was obvious." His 'wings' spread behind him, when he kneeled before the girl. "Servant Rider, Tsurumaru Kuninaga, has answered your calling. Let's hope to surprise everyone together!"

"So you're not a Saber." Tohsaka sounded disappointed, hurt even, like she has just lost all hope. The fact, that she ignored such warm declaration of obedience, was not very nice or promising for their further cooperation.

The man did not seem to care – or he just tried to cheer his new Master up.

"Aren't we all Sabers? I mean, in a matter of speaking…" His smile was so charming and contagious, that Rin couldn't remain angry for long. "We're - literally - swords. And Servant classes are just containers." Rider shrugged, probably to his own thoughts. "Don't worry, Master, I'm an experienced warrior, you can leave the fighting to me."

Tohsaka did not answer, only stared at this strange guy. It was hard to tell, if she's still doubting his worth or just remains lost in thoughts.

But Tsurumaru wasn't the one to give up easily or left his curiosity unfed. He tilted his head and asked nonchalantly:

"You just can't take me seriously, after seeing me wiping the floor with my face, can you?"

"I will, after you prove your worth in battle."

He sighed overdramatically.

"As you wish. Have I at least deserved to know my Master's name?"

"Rin. Rin Tohsaka," the girl replied reluctantly, cursing her own lack of manners. She was tired and excited, yes, but not the point of forgetting how a Tohsaka magus should behave! And letting her own not-even-a-Saber-class Servant embarrass her was just unforgivable!

Not waiting for his answer, the girl turned around and left the underground workshop. Although excited and desperate to know everything about her new familiar, she decided to rest and calm down first, to avoid acting like a stupid teenager in the presence of an ancient soul.

Rin didn't order Rider to follow her upstairs, but Tsurumaru did it anyway.

"Hmmm." - She heard him humming suspiciously behind her back and frowned, not knowing what to think about it.

"What, you're disappointed with your new Master or something?" – she asked, a little bit too provocative, maybe.

"Not at all. I have no reason to. Unless you robbed a grave or a temple to get me, like it happened countless times in history..."

Even Rin's ears went red after hearing that, and she was happy that Rider cannot see her face at the moment. It was not like that! She only opened the abandoned box... Mages do much worse things for less important reasons!

Feeling the tension in the air, they both remained silent almost all the way up the stairs.

"Where are we going, Master Rin?" – Tsurumaru asked eventually, leaning on the handrail.

"Not WE. I am going to rest in my room." She turned around and accusingly poked Rider in the chest. He looked suspiciously happy about it. "It's your fault for draining my mana, so you stay here and let me sleep as long as I need to."

"And what should I do until then?"

"I don't know." Rin rolled her eyes. "You're not a baby, are you? You can take care of yourself. Your task is to guard me, but you can also take a look around, clean up the house or something…"

A dangerous sparkle flickered in Rider's golden eyes, making Tohsaka alert for no particular reason.

"Understood, Master Rin! You will be surprised in the morning, I can guarantee that!"

The girl almost froze at this last declaration, realizing that she rather wouldn't like to know what he meant.

* * *

NOTE: by a 'deity' I meant Japanese term 'kami', which relates to deity-like spirits of things, places and such. A 'kami' is something less than a Western god, but also more than a simple spirit of something. Anyway, they are higher in hierarchy of creatures than humans.

So… Muramasa Shirou is awesome, don't You think? I just couldn't ignore the fact that there are Muramasa's swords running around also in "Touken Ranbu", and it just clicked together. I would like to know what You think.

You don't have to know "Touken Ranbu" to enjoy this story. At least I hope so. I also plan to add Servants' profiles later, to make things as clear as possible. This is also my first crossover, so please don't eat me just yet.

Of course, characters and all belong to their respective owners – and my bad writing is mine alone.


	2. 1: Saber of the Crescent Moon

**Chapter 1: Saber of the Crescent Moon**

* * *

_All he needed to survive, to win even, was a weapon. A weapon of great power, able to kill his enemy in one strike._

_If he only had a sword_…

* * *

Sakura Matou left the archery dojo earlier today to run an errand for one of the teachers. She was climbing up the stairs to deliver the notes, when she heard familiar voices in the hallway.

_Senpai? _Something seemed wrong with Shirou, like he was trying to endure great pain. And he wasn't alone on the corridor, Sakura could also hear Rin and Issei nearby_. Has something bad happened?_

Not knowing what exactly alarmed her, the girl stopped on the stairs to observe the commotion from hiding.

"You feel well, Emiya?" Issei leaned towards his friend, truly concerned.

"Not really." Shirou was on his knees, almost curled on the floor. He looked like he wanted to chuckle, but was afraid that he might vomit instead. "My… stomach hurts."

"How?" Another familiar voice. No one even noticed when Shinji joined them upstairs. "Describe it."

"I feel like I've just swallowed a drill. And it keeps twirling inside."

"Sound serious." When Rin took a step closer, probably to examine him, Shirou's face turned to an awful purple color. The poor guy almost changed into a convulsing ball. "Maybe it's appendicitis?"

"Or maybe" – Shinji's tone and his mocking smile were somehow ominous – "you're just excited to see Tohsaka and want her attention?"

Before anyone managed to react, an awful noise broke the silence. They all looked to the stairs, at the pile of scattered papers and other stuff on the floor.

It took Sakura a moment to realize it was her fault to drop it all. She did not expect that Shinji's insolent mockery would shake her this much.

"S-sorry, don't mind me." She started to collect her things, too embarrassed to look anyone in the eye. "I didn't want to interrupt anything."

"You didn't." Rin walked up to her and helped gather the papers like it was only natural. "No one ever listens what Shinji says, so don't worry."

"T-thank you, Tohsaka-senpai."

It seemed that Shirou, too, at least partially recovered, because he stood up and almost ran to the nearest bathroom. Unable to hide how upset she really is, Sakura sighed quietly.

In respond to her worries, a still fresh, yet already familiar spiritual presence wrapped around her. Although Sakura asked him to not follow her to school, this guy was hopeless when he set his mind on something.

The girl felt better almost in an instant and smiled internally, thinking that she did not deserve such kind guardian spirit.

* * *

"What do you think, Rider?"

"I think that the red-haired guy has a crush on you."

"Wha…?! Not about that, you stupid… Guh!" Rin needed a deep breath to remind herself of the Tohsakas' proper attitude and quickly regained her composure. "I was asking what do you think about this town as a battlefield, you idiot! And what's with that modern slang so suddenly?"

"I spent all that time in school with you, Master Rin. It's only natural to learn. And it was fun!"

Rin sighed hopelessly, defeated. Tsurumaru was like that all the time. Since morning he kept blabbering only about 'fun' and 'surprises'.

Indeed, he was 'born' in the Heian era, so Fuyuki in its current state must have been fascinating to him. Servants should posses the knowledge about modern times, but Touken Danshi were… well… swords. They had been experiencing the world differently in their original forms. For such spirits entering another era was not a big problem, but they rather felt shocked after switching into human body. Now they had more senses, could even taste things around them.

Tsurumaru was excited about… everything. Literally. When Kirei had called Rin to ask about the summoning, she needed to hide the phone from her Servant. Even now, during their little stroll through the city, Rider seemed amazed by almost every detail spotted on the way.

But the worse thing about him was that Tohsaka had no idea how to respond to his awkward comments. And the fact that he accompanied her mostly in his spirit form did not make it any less annoying.

"So…" – she started, mostly to break through the endless stream of babbling – "you didn't explain it to me yet: how do you even qualify into a Rider class, huh?"

"I am a **tachi**. A **ta**-**chi**, Master Rin!" For the first time he sounded actually offended. "Do you know what **tachi** is?"

"A sword, apparently."

There was a tense, deep silence for a moment, then a painful sigh.

"You're from a family of mages, so I guess I can't really blame you for being ignorant, Master Rin. In general, we're longer, bigger and more curved than lame uchigatanas that were forged later. And a tachi is a type of samurai sword for cavalry. So, yeah, I'm used to a horseback. As a Rider class Servant I can actually drive almost anything… Do you ride any fancy vehicle, Master Rin?"

"Nope."

"Oh, come on… Even a tiny yellow one, like that funny teacher of yours has? The prankster-lady wearing tiger strips?"

"No, Tohsaka is a traditional family. All we want we get using magic." They entered a quiet side alley on their way home. The path here was narrow and dark, so people usually avoided it. Rin did not have to care about potential witnesses and kept speaking out loud. "Besides, even if I had a car, I wouldn't let you drive it just for fun."

"That's cruel."

"If you're a Rider, why won't you summon a mount for yourself?"

She could almost hear his eyes rolling.

"You know already my Noble Phantasms don't work like this, Master Rin."

Indeed, she knew. He was a very unusual Rider, but she couldn't actually complain. His parameters were top class, no particular weakness to be concerned about. Still…

_Could someone so carefree be really reliable in battle?_

Well, Rin had to admit that Rider did not lack focus, especially when he insisted on preparing green tea for her in the morning. Although it was his first time doing it, the effect was surprisingly satisfying – he claimed that he remembered well the smell of the finest teas from ancient times. Tohsaka has never tried anything like that, but she liked the specific aroma of the drink.

"I wish I could meet that funny tiger lady again."

Another weird comment brought Rin back to reality from the realm of strange thoughts. To say that she was pissed off, would be an understatement.

"Hey! Are you suggesting that Fujimura-sensei would be a better Master than me?!"

"Ha, ha, ha! No, I just said it would be cool to make pranks together, that's all. Are you jealous, Master Rin?"

"No, I'm just angry. Because it looks like you're here only to have fun!" She stopped, realizing that she forgot about one important question. "Right… What is your wish for the Grail, Rider?"

"My what?"

"Your wish. Servants have wishes and this is why they can be summoned, right?"

To her further annoyance, Tsurumaru only chuckled awkwardly.

"Servants used to be like that before, huh? Interesting. Tell me, Master Rin, do you actually know what Touken Danshi are and what is their purpose?"

"Something like spirits of swords manifested as Servants?"

"Not really. The real nature of Touken Danshi is…"

He did not manage to end the sentence. Tohsaka could only blink in surprise, seeing a flash of steel coming from above, so fast that it actually felt unreal.

But her Rider was even faster – he not only materialized fully to protect her from that sneak assault, but also somehow blocked the short sword and pushed back the other Servant with his own strike.

Their enemy landed elegantly on the sidewalk few meters before them. He would look like a normal teenager, if not his glowing purple eyes and strange uniform with shorts. A simple tantou in his stretched out hand seemed to be his only weapon.

"Assassin!" Tohsaka frowned and stepped back, readying few jewels to defend herself. She was glad that Rider wasn't as carefree as it looked like – his incredible reflex had just saved her life. "That's why we couldn't notice anything!"

"Exactly, Master." Tsurumaru did not attack, either waiting for Tohsaka's order, or provoking his adversary to make another move. When he spoke at last, he was smiling mockingly. "What will you do now, hide in the shadows and try again?"

"It won't be necessary for the ones like you," the other Servant replied in disturbingly deep voice, which did not fit someone so small and young-looking. "My Master ordered me to get rid of the trash first. You will die here tonight."

Rin narrowed her eyes, clearly wanting to say something very, very mean, but Assassin attacked again. Rider answered properly, a blurred smudge of white before his Master's eyes... Tohsaka knew that Servants were far beyond humans in terms of raw power, but she still did not expect anything like this. Not able to use their abilities properly on the narrow street, the two fighters were climbing up fences and buildings, in ridiculously long jumps, like gravity was not their problem.

"Too slow. Too slow, again!" Rider, who was almost nonchalantly avoiding the strikes, really would have been looking like an elegant crane in flight, if not his predatory expression. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! Still too slooow!"

Rin realized that's she's holding her breath since the first exchange of blows. Both Servants were moving too fast for her eyes to keep up, yet it didn't seem that Rider's reached his limits of speed yet. He was rather playing with his adversary, prolonging the duel for his own satisfaction.

"I see." Tsurumaru's smile was as wide as ever, but it became bloodthirsty rather than cheerful. "As a mere tantou and an Assassin, you think you should have an advantage between the buildings, am I right? I guess it would work against a regular long sword. But you chose the wrong Servant to mess with!"

"Tch!" The first serious counterattack almost made Assassin lose his balance. One look at his shaking hands, when he desperately blocked the ferocious blows of the crane-like Servant, was enough to tell that he's not fitted to this kind of fighting.

"Surprised already?" Tsurumaru did not intend to give him a break, taking seriously Rin's earlier suggestion to deserve her respect in battle.

Although the smaller Servant was an experienced fighter, whose every strike hit precisely where it should have, he was quickly pushed back by Rider. When he couldn't overwhelm an opponent with his speed, the short sword mostly struggled for survival. He wisely decided to withdraw for now, maybe to perform another sneak attack later…

"Are you really trying to outrun a Rider class Servant? I would be surprised, if you managed to!" Suddenly, Tsurumaru was already before him, blocking his escape route. "But I don't need this kind of surprises!"

Assassin hissed painfully, when the elegant tachi broke through his defense and almost cut off his arm. The blood painted Rider's clothes red, making him look like a real crane.

Having no other choice, the smaller Servant took advantage of the fact that longer swords have limited mobility in close combat – he charged forward and escaped under Rider's still stretched arm. Tsurumaru followed him without Rin's order.

It wasn't a fight anymore. Actually, it wasn't even a chase. It was a hunt, with Assassin running away so desperately, that he bumped into a random bystander, before he eventually vanished into his spirit form.

"Damn Presence Concealment." Rider materialized next to Rin, shook off the blood from his sword and put the weapon back into the sheath. "And it seems that red-haired friend of yours had seen us fighting. What should we do now, Master Rin?"

"Go after him, of course." Tohsaka did not hesitate even for a moment - she was already on the run.

Her Servant did not follow at first, only raised one of his silver eyebrows in question.

"You're not going to silence him, like mages usually do, Master Rin?"

She glanced at her Servant, trying to read his intentions.

"Of course not," she replied honestly. "A small memory manipulation isn't out of the question, but I can't let anything serious happen to this guy. Sakura would never forgive me. That's why we must make sure Assassin has not targeted him already."

"I see." The usual expression of a playful teenager had already returned to Rider's face. Having a nice duel is one thing, but striking innocent bystanders wasn't acceptable for him. He seemed glad that Tohsaka has the exact same opinion on this matter. "What an entertaining evening! I haven't expected that at all!"

* * *

It was a really bad day for Shirou Emiya.

First, after falling asleep in the storehouse again, he unintentionally forced all his morning duties on Sakura. Then Fuji-nee decided to make fun of him since their breakfast. It wasn't anything new, actually, but it weakened his alertness. That strange feeling of danger in his guts… he shouldn't have ignored it so easily.

A casual chatter with Issei later, when he tried to fix that broken heater, had greatly improved his mood. But then…

Tohsaka happened.

Shirou was about to say hello, when a sudden spasm knocked him out. What kind of nonsense was that? He tried hard not to vomit just from looking at the most popular girl in the school… No wonder Shinji mocked him back then!

But Emiya couldn't help it. There was something truly odd around Tohsaka today, a strange aura that made his intestines shake. And when Sakura suddenly appeared, it got even worse. Shirou could only crawl to the bathroom, to hide from both girls.

He sighed, remembering the morning chaos. At least now he could enjoy his evening walk home after work. The crescent moon was stunningly beautiful today, more golden than silver. For Shirou it somehow looked like a piece of fine steel, curved like a sword of an ancient warrior.

"Talking about swords…"

Emiya froze, suspecting that his ears are fooling him. Someone was fighting in that back alley?

_Is that…?_

He blinked, sure that he's just spotted Rin in the distance. And… two samurai warriors, who were moving way faster than any ordinary human.

Indeed, it was a very bad day for Shirou Emiya.

First that weird reaction when Tohsaka was closer than ten meters from him. Then two strange-looking men using swords between the buildings, with Rin watching them calmly, like it was nothing unusual for her. Has Emiya lost his mind today or the world around was just crazy?

When the fight turned on the favor of the warrior in white clothes, the smaller swordsman decided to run. Shirou cursed internally – he should have known better and retreat when he still could! But he stood like an idiot, staring at the duel, until it was too late. The wounded man bumped into him at full speed, almost crushing the poor boy into asphalt.

How such a small person could be this strong an heavy? And the look in those purple eyes, when the guy just dissolved in the cold air, was frightening.

Shirou wasn't in condition to think about it, defeated by another wave of pain. The comparison to a drill was accurate, but he still had no idea why Tohsaka's presence did it to him…

What was even worse, the red devil girl was coming this way, together with that strange man in white, so Emiya did the only thing he could at the moment – stood up and ran back home. He had enough for one day and fainting on the street with a blown out stomach or something did not sound like a good idea.

As expected, keeping a safe distance from Tohsaka helped a lot. But a strange feeling of being observed remained even after Shirou stopped at last in his own backyard.

"It's… unnaturally quiet," he noticed a few painful breaths later, and took a look around. The place looked normal, bathed in the silver light of the crescent moon. There was no wind, but the grass moved slightly and a small shadow from above… "Oh, shit!"

It was a miracle that Shirou managed to dodge the sudden attack. He rolled away on the grass, sure that he has just broken a rib or something. A trail of blood on the ground was a proof that the assaulter did not miss completely.

The small warrior was already back on his feet. He sighed painfully, but did not lower his weapon. As expected, it was the purple-eyed tantou wielder from before, but his wounds had vanished miraculously before he got here.

"This 'Assassin class' feels like a big, sad mistake to me," he whispered and took a slow step towards his prey. And another, and another… like a cat approaching a wounded mouse. "I suppose it doesn't really matter for you, but I have no choice. An order is an order, that's all. All witnesses must be eliminated."

Since the great fire ten years ago, Shirou has never felt so helpless again. He couldn't defend himself, laying wounded on the bloodstained ground. Even his own body betrayed him – now his intestines were shaking uncontrollably. It almost felt like a long piece of metal had suddenly awakened and tried to force its way out...

"Like if I will ever give up!" He almost growled through gritted teeth. If he dies here, he won't become who Kiritsugu wanted him to be. He owed it to his father. He promised Kiritsugu to achieve greatness the old man did not manage to grasp in the end…

All he needed to survive, to win even, was a weapon. A weapon of great power, able to kill his enemy in one strike.

If he only had a sword…

The sad truth was that Shirou couldn't even focus or breathe properly, overwhelmed by a strange weakness. His body was not only aching terribly, but also started emitting a golden light. Or was it just his imagination?

"What the…" The purple-eyed man stopped suddenly; an utter terror was visible in his gaze. So the stranger, too, could see that unnatural shinning? And, for some reason, it scared him. "There's another? How?!"

Shirou cried out in great pain, when the light left his body and gathered before him. The glow blinded him, and a sudden blow of strong wind almost threw him few meters away. When the boy opened his eyes again, he could see only a curtain of cherry petals, slowly falling down, covering the entire courtyard like a pink carpet.

"Hmmm… This is a quite chaotic mess."

Someone was standing in the centre of this hurricane of magic – a gallant figure in dark-blue clothes with golden and white details. A warrior, wielding the most magnificent sword known in this country.

_A samurai? How?_

Shirou stared at the man in his late twenties, who looked like he had just descended straight from the crescent moon. The moonlight illuminated his armor and dark hair with characteristic blue shade. He clearly wasn't a part of this world.

And his eyes… Blue with golden crescent moons under irises. Shirou has never seen anyone with such eyes before – they looked like pure magic to him.

"It's good to finally see your face, young man." The stranger smiled gently, then finally turned around to face their uninvited guest. His hand found the hilt of the sword, but did not draw it yet. "You still has a chance to retreat, Assassin," he said to the other warrior, slowly, like he was lecturing a youngster, but not mockingly.

His opponent only snorted and tightened the grip on his tantou.

"If you expect me to run away just because you showed up, you'll be disappointed," he replied in that disturbingly deep voice, then charged at the other man without warning.

The warrior in blue did not even draw his sword. He moved slightly to the left and… burst out a wave of pure magical energy, shaped like a golden crescent moon.

The small attacker performed an impossible dodging maneuver, then three more. No matter what he was trying to do to get closer to his enemy, he was pushed back by the blade-like missiles.

"At least draw your sword, damn it!"

"No way. You invaded this household and are unwelcome. If we ever going to fight properly, it will be an honorable duel on neutral ground."

This insult was intended mostly to test Assassin's resolve. He turned out to be proud enough to attack more ferociously than before. The warrior in blue needed even to block one of the strikes with his, still sheathed, blade…

But shortly after that, the purple-eyed tantou suddenly jumped back and retreated to the fence.

"So, after all your bragging, you WILL run away in the end?"

"I don't mind playing with you longer, but… " Assassin shrugged. "…Master's orders. Next time you'll die."

"There won't be next time."

Assassin hummed in response and vanished into thin air.

The warrior in blue only tilted his head and turned around, his strange eyes were scanning Shirou in search of injuries.

"Your wounds seem shallow enough, young master. Brilliant, brilliant. It's either a miracle or a testament of your skill, that you survived an attack of Assassin almost unscratched."

_Assassin? What is he talking about? And his weird accent… He doesn't look like an old man, but clearly speaks like one._

So many questions were twirling in Emiya's head, but he managed to form only short:

"What are you?"

The samurai chuckled awkwardly, helping Shirou to get up.

"I almost forgot, sorry, sorry... What I am, huh?" He pressed a finger to his lips, thinking. "How do you call it here? Servants, right? I guess it was it, ha, ha, ha, ha!" His laughter was as strange as everything else about him – creepy and cute at the same time. "It's been ten years already, and I'm just an old man with bad memory, so... Anyway, I'm Mikazuki Munechika, your Saber. Or so it seems."

"S-saber…?" Shirou blinked. This so-called explanation did not help, only raised more questions.

"So your father didn't tell you?" Suddenly Mikazuki frowned and crescents in his eyes glowed dangerously. "Another job already? They won't let the old man rest, will they? I think it's better for you to hide inside."

After saying that, he just jumped through the fence, totally ignoring gravity, and leaving the stunned boy in the centre of the backyard, under the crescent moon.

* * *

Thank You for comments and support! I hope You enjoyed the chapter (and would like to know what You think)!

Now, answering Your questions... Some of You asked which Muramasa blades will be a part of this story, so I can tell that there are two weapons from "Muramasa family' in "Touken Ranbu" and both will have a major role in the plot. To make things funnier, Muramasa-Shirou from FGO will also appear.

About Mikazuki Munechika - the guy is basically like Saber Arturia of Touken Ranbu - blue, famous and everybody wants him. ;) Oh, and he's voiced by Koisuke Toriumi, Robin Hood and Asterios from FGO, so expect voice actor gags later.


	3. 2: The Storm Is Coming

**Chapter 2: The Storm Is Coming**

_"__Don't you know, Caster? When I undress I must dye myself in crimson."_

* * *

"Can you feel Assassin's presence?"

Rin did not let Rider carry her, but insisted on running by his side. Tsurumaru thought she's cute in her stubbornness and did not intend to treat her like a fragile lady. She was rather a warrior-maiden, if something like that existed in this era. He felt lucky to have such outstanding Master in this war.

"Faintly," he replied, scanning the surroundings. "It seems that he's retreating, but there's another strong aura nearby. We should be care…"

Then he forcefully stopped Rin in place and jumped forward to protect her from unknown danger. The enemy Servant showed up from nowhere and charged at them like a flash of moonlight. Their swords clashed centimeters above Tohsaka's head.

"Damn, he's good," Tsurumaru hissed through clenched teeth, trying to kick the enemy away from his Master. The other Servant dodged this blow with ease and gently jumped back, making Rider growl with annoyance. "Mikazuki? Is it really you?"

"Oh? Who would have thought we'd meet during a Grail War?" The elegant stranger visibly relaxed, but did not lower his weapon… yet. Battered and confused Shirou joined him on the street, breathing heavily after a wild chase from the courtyard. "But… as enemies?"

"This, my friend, depends on our Masters. Right, Rin? Rin?"

Tohsaka ignored Rider completely, staring at the blue-and-golden samurai, who was standing still at Shirou's side.

"It's him," she whispered, like in some strange delirium. "Saber of the Crescent Moon."

"My, my, Master… I feel a bit jealous now." Tsurumaru smiled, gently and so much not like him, that Rin suddenly felt uneasy. "Does it mean I wasn't your first choice?"

"N-no, I just wanted to say that everyone was looking for this sword since the last war. Even Kirei. Actually, he was the one to tell me about it."

"Kirei? You mean that priest?" Mikazuki arched an eyebrow, clearly not happy to hear this man's name again.

"Can we… just go inside, please?" Shirou, pale and exhausted, could not even hope to understand what they're talking about. For now he was actually happy that no one tried to cut each other to pieces anymore. "We'll sit together, have a tea and talk it over, ok?"

"Emiya, you're bleeding!" Rin, who has just noticed red stains on Shirou's shirt, rushed to the boy before she realized what she's doing. Both Servants let her pass without protest. "Does it mean that Assassin found you?"

"Well, actually…" Shirou couldn't say anything more, overwhelmed by weakness after an intensive day of strange discoveries and pain. He suspected that the sudden appearance of Saber must also have something to do with the burning sensation in his magic circuits.

Tohsaka's healing magic felt nice and warm, to be honest. Emiya almost fell asleep under her touch, surprised that the twirling pain in his stomach did not come back despite the girl being so close to him. Could that 'drill' he felt inside before be…?

Such thoughts had been cut off suddenly, along with Emiya's consciousness. Then unexpectedly strong arms caught the boy, letting him sleep in peace all the way back to the house.

* * *

The last thing Shirou expected to hear at the moment of his awakening was a cheerful group laughter coming from the dining room.

Blinking in chase of consciousness, he slowly got up, a little numb but alive and healed. His wounds magically vanished (he must thank Tohsaka later), the mysterious 'drill' did not come back as well (he must ask Mikazuki about it later).

_Right, Mikazuki. So it wasn't just a weird dream, huh? What the hell is going on?_

Another burst of laughter came from behind the wall and this time Shirou recognized three voices. He sighed, preparing to face his guests.

"Oh, Emiya! You're awake at last," Rin said, when the boy emerged from his room, so casually that she sounded like an inhabitant of this household. "I bet you don't mind that we…" She gestured toward the table, where stood a jug of freshly brewed green tea. One empty cup was waiting there untouched, probably for Shirou.

"No, I'm glad you feel here like home. And I promised you tea, after all." He sat down, absently rubbing his hair, and tasted the drink. It smelled weird but turned out to be surprisingly good. A proud smirk on the face of the strange samurai in white was a proof that he is the one responsible for preparing this strange tea. "This is good. So… would somebody mind to explain what a mess I got myself into?"

"The Holy Grail War," Tohsaka replied simply, sipping her tea. "In short: the war of seven magi, who summon powerful spirits, known as Servants, and fight to the death to have their wishes granted."

As expected, it was too much for Shirou to process at once, but he nodded politely in acknowledgement anyway. More than thousand thoughts have crossed his mind, so it was difficult for him to ask one concrete question.

"Servants? So this is why your companion calls you 'Master'? And you said you're a Saber, Mikazuki… It has something to do with your proficiency with the sword?"

"Yes, although it's not quite important, since we're all swords."

"Classes are just a relic from the past wars," Rin explained, mostly to cut off the topic. "You should not worry about such details. The most important thing for you is that you're now in grave danger, Emiya. If other mages find out how ignorant and weak you are…"

"Swords, you say?" This word alone triggered something in Shirou, to the point that Tohsaka felt ignored. "You are a famous sword as well?" The boy asked Rider, then shook his head, amazed how awkwardly his own question sounded. But Rin's Servant had nothing against it - he just nodded with a wide smile on his face. "Let me guess which one! That crane… is it the crest of Mori Yoshinari? So you are Tsurumaru Kuninaga? The famous blade, known of its beauty and stolen multiple times, even from graves and temples?"

"Oh? Brilliant, brilliant!" Saber was visibly proud of his young Master. "You know a lot about swords, don't you? I guess this is not a common hobby among teenagers these days?"

"I… Suppose it's not." Shirou chuckled nervously, visibly embarrassed. "I always thought that swords are more than just weapons. The act of making a sword has something mystical in it, feels more like art than simple craft. Well, at least that's how it looks to me."

Saber only smiled mysteriously, pleased by that answer for some unknown reason.

"Have you ever tried to forge a sword, Master of Saber?" Rider was sitting still for a surprisingly long time and even refrained from commenting. Tohsaka kept glancing at him suspiciously. So her hyperactive Servant was able to behave properly after all!

"N-no? I can only strengthen things. Actually, I never thought about forging anything myself."

"Maybe you should try then?" Mikazuki did not even look at him, staring into his cup instead, but something in his voice seemed quite suspicious to Emiya. "You can start from a copy."

"Well, it sounds nice, but… " Shirou stared at Rin, then at Saber – a question was visible in his gaze. "But is it really wise to reveal such thing in the presence of someone who will probably kill me soon?"

Seeing Rin's expression, Tsurumaru snorted into his tea, almost spattering it on his crane-white clothes.

"Soooo you insist on being my enemy, Emiya?" Tohsaka's eyebrow twitched dangerously several times. She was scary at the moment – and determined to make this insolent guy regret teasing her. "Maybe I should eliminate you here and now?"

"No, no, no! Sorry for that!" Shirou breathed out a sigh of relief, when Rin finally stopped smiling. "But you hit the point here: what if I don't want to fight? You or at all?"

"It would be… unwise," Mikazuki said, smiling so politely, that his crescent eyes seemed to disappear for a moment.

"Why is that?"

Tohsaka sighed painfully – another sign that she had lost her patience long ago.

"I have a better idea," she said, slowly getting up. "I'll take you to a person who will explain everything better than us. It's his job, after all."

"You mean father Kotomine, the young one?" Saber rather stated than asked, his voice was suspiciously devoid of emotions.

Tsurumaru, who was still sitting comfortably on the floor with a cup in his hand, tilted his head.

"But if this… Kirei guy really kept searching for Saber, I don't think it's a good idea to just go to him and exchange pleasantries," he suggested.

"We need to officially register Emiya anyway." Rin frowned, thinking. "I agree that Kirei is a shady type, but he's also the supervisor of this War. We cannot just ignore this."

"Then we should go together and I'll just wait outside the church." Mikazuki shrugged, trying not to think too much how difficult their situation is. If Kotomine really survived the last war, they need to tread carefully. He should explain this, and many more important things, to Shirou before they'll fully join the fight, but it wasn't the right moment yet. "Shall we?"

* * *

Every local ghost and most of Servants already knew that a masterless Caster settled down at the grounds of Ryuudou Temple. Its natural barrier worked well enough against all kinds of spirits; Caster's ability to create and defend his territory only boosted its potential. For Servants this place was like a fortress, with only one gate to enter its grounds.

Now a mysterious stranger stood in this narrow passage, feeling on his skin the unpleasant pressure of the barrier. What's even more suspicious, he seemed surprised that this kind of magic could still affect him. Maybe he wasn't as mortal as he thought?

Shaking off this insignificant thought, the stranger stepped closer to the gate and whistled with pretended admiration. He's just found what he was looking for.

His target was sitting perfectly still just few meters from the gate, with his eyes closed and a simple Buddhist rosary in his right hand. An extremely long hair, black near the head and snowy white at the end, surrounded the Servant like a mystical veil. Caster's core was laying in front of him, in form of an elegant but simple tachi.

Two Servants were facing each other in complete silence for a long, disturbingly tense moment, trying to guess potential strengths and weaknesses of the opponent from his aura alone.

"May I ask you something?" – Caster said suddenly; he was fully aware of the other Servant's position and intentions, although he did not open his eyes even for a second. "Are you a Berserker or a Saber?"

"Both, I guess?" The intruder entered the battle stance, just to provoke his opponent. He was curious, how much this petty monk can sense through his ridiculously colored eyelids. "It's not important anymore. Now then… let me go straight to the point. My partner thinks that you can be a valuable ally. He sent me to pay you a visit and ask if you would like to join us."

Caster did not say anything, he only slightly tilted his head. Although he seemed totally relaxed, no experienced warrior would lower his guard in a presence of such powerful spirit. Someone who mastered his own body and mind so perfectly, could change into a raging tornado in an instant and wipe you out before you even notice your mistake.

If Caster is like a cold rock, that burst out with flames at will, the other Servant resembles rather a storm trapped inside a fragile glass container. He had an aura of a demonic creature: his gleaming eyes – were they red or golden? - and his disobedient long hair – was it pink or violet? - only made this impression stronger.

_His feminine moves do not fit someone with such a_ _muscular body_, Caster noticed and tensed a bit. This Servant – because the weird warrior still was one, wasn't he? – seemed more dangerous that he suspected.

"And you ask me to join you with your blade pointed at my chest?" – he asked politely, not impressed by the unspoken threat. "That's some unusual way of finding allies."

"Huhuhuhuhu, and they still say that I am the weird one…" Chuckling awkwardly, the intruder slightly lowered his weapon. "But you have a point here, I've been told many times that undressing to introduce myself can be considered rude, huhuhuhu. So… what's your answer?"

"It's out of the question." Caster almost sighed mentally, realizing that any discussion with this strange creature is pointless. "My duty is to annihilate evil, not to join it."

"How foolish of me… For a while I really expected that a pacifist like you would surrender. You know, for 'greater good' or whatever."

"And I believed that you, too, can reach enlightenment." A sad, beautiful smile crossed Caster's flawless face. "But you're really as mad as legends say. There's no hope for such cursed blade, I'm afraid. Sometimes the only way to free something is to destroy it."

"Oh? But I've already freed myself. You can say I reincarnated. You, Buddhists, believe in reincarnation, right? And I gave this chance to other sword warriors, many have joined me already."

In response to his words, the air thickened suddenly, and a bunch of human-shaped shadows materialized out of nowhere. They resembled Touken Danshi to some extent, but strangely deformed, broken even. Like they've been bathed in liquid curses or black magic long enough to lose their identity, along with their last remains of sanity.

Caster shivered in sudden attack of pain. He knew how these 'wraiths' came to be and did not like it. No soul should be treated like this, no sword should suffer such humiliation. What this mad Saber –or Berserker - had done was irreversible. And unforgivable.

"You borrowed this weird trick from your Master?" Caster frowned, trying to not show how angry he actually is.

"From the Grail, actually. Want to learn it too, Caster? I can still forgive you if you decide to join me."

A heavy sigh was the only answer he got. Surrounded by cursed sword-wraiths, Caster stood up at last and prepared for battle.

"This is something I cannot accept. And I swear on my true name that I won't let you pass this gate", he said calmly. It was not a threat, rather a promise. "Blood must not be shed on this sacred ground."

"It's far too late for such heroic oaths." The strange Servant chuckled and prepared to attack, his eyes were burning with bloodlust. "Don't you know, Caster? When I undress I must dye myself in crimson."

* * *

"Remember me, Saber?"

The little, white-haired girl smiled gently to the samurai in blue. She looked so sweet and innocent under the dark sky. The unnaturally strong wind was playing with her hair – a storm was coming, Mikazuki, who was waiting for the rest of their strange team near the church's gate, had no doubt about it.

Rin and Shirou were already on their way back and both of them frowned suspiciously at the little girl. Rider immediately materialized next to Tohsaka, sensing a powerful Master – and even more powerful Servant nearby.

"How could I forget such a charming young lady?" – Saber said at last, when they were close enough to participate in the chatter.

"Oh?" The girl seemed strangely pleased by his answer – and by the astonished gazes of two other Masters. Toying with them must have been satisfying for her. "I missed our little talks and afternoon tea. But Kiritsugu gave you to my little brother in the end… I'm jealous, I was looking for you everywhere."

_'__Little brother'_? Shirou frowned, a bit annoyed. It looked like everyone here knew Kiritsugu better than his adopted son. And they all wanted to lay their hands on Mikazuki… The boy understood the value of such ancient weapon, a national treasure actually, but it must have been about something more, right?

What the hell happened ten years ago? Shirou couldn't speak with Mikazuki privately yet, because Tohsaka had literally invaded his household, but he did not intent do leave such important things unspoken forever.

"I see," Rin whispered behind his back, bringing Emiya back to reality. "Normally a Servant is just a copy, so it shouldn't have any memories from previous summonings. But Touken Danshi are swords, not typical spirits, so their cores are not stored in the Throne of Heroes."

"That's right, Miss Tohsaka." Mikazuki smiled faintly, but did not turn away his gaze from the enemy Master even for a second. Shirou frowned, wondering if this little girl is really so dangerous to keep Saber alert like this. "Our material body is here as well, so we remember everything."

"Then you should remember that it's not wise to oppose me," Illyasviel interrupted their meaningless exchange of thoughts; her bloodlust was raising with every passing second. She tilted her head, struck by a sudden idea, probably as vicious as her smile. "Say, Saber… won't you join me? I'm the strongest Master, I can easily maintain an army of Servants."

"Forgive me, but my allegiance lies elsewhere. And I despise traitors too much to become one of them."

"I see. I don't need you anymore, I asked only out of sentiment. I already have the strongest Servant. Come, Berserker." She snapped her fingers and a tall warrior materialized by her side.

"So… are you done chatting?" – he said in a deep but surprisingly calm voice (for a Berserker). His right eye was hidden under a waterfall of grey hair, but the other one was enough to make Rin and Shirou step back with a painful 'gulp' in their throats. This Servant looked like a giant dire wolf, that really enjoys hunting.

"Berserker, don't be rude." Illyasviell smiled politely… so politely it seemed rather offensive. "I know you're not very social, but try to understand that this is the last moment of their petty lives. Let them enjoy it. Besides…"

She smiled viciously when the thunder sounded just above their heads.

Berserker almost laughed at the beginning of a storm.

"Thunder tonight, huh? That's too bad for you, guys. I'm at my best condition when there's thunder."

Shirou swallowed painfully, not knowing what to do. Every cell in his body was screaming that he should immediately run away or he's going to die. Yet he somehow withstood the first wave of fear and focused on the enemy before him, searching for meaningful details, anything that could help him stay alive and maybe even protect Tohsaka.

"These colors… the sheath. Oodenta?"

"Huh?" Rin blinked, surprised. It seemed that Shirou's unusual hobby may work to their advantage. "You mean that famous healing sword?"

Emiya nodded. He recognized too well its characteristic patterns, it couldn't be a mistake.

"Legends says that the spiritual energy of this blade is so high, that it kills even birds flying over the storehouse where it's held."

"Birds, you say?" Rider smiled dangerously, unsheathing his beautiful blade. "Well, this crane will surprise you, Berserker, I can promise you that."

Oodenta's only reaction to Rider's provocative speech was a tiny smirk. He could bet that bare fists would be enough to defeat this noisy jerk in white.

But he changed his mind quickly, when Tsurumaru finally attacked. When he gets serious, Tohsaka's Servant can be as violent as the storm raging around them.

All three Masters and Saber narrowed their eyes, trying to see anything through the curtain of dust in the whirl of bodies and swords. The clash of two surprisingly similar Servants was longer than expected and Shirou, when he finally got used to their inhuman speed enough to recognize the maneuvers, couldn't understand why Tsurumaru hasn't yet reached vital points of his opponent . With his speed and similar length of the blade, he should have been already winning.

"Berserker." Illyasviel rolled her eyes, sounding utterly bored. "You've seen enough already. Stop fooling around."

"As you wish, Master," Oodenta replied flatly, like he didn't really care about the outcome of this duel. Then he just grasped surprised Tsurumaru by his throat and… threw him with terrible force, almost crushing him into the ground.

"Rider!" Rin's eyes widened in shock, but she reacted immediately. Few thrown jewels reached Berserker and exploded, keeping the raging Servant in place for a moment.

"Thanks, Master." Tsurumaru was already on his feet, keeping safe distance from the enemy. He was breathing heavily but clearly hadn't run out of tricks yet. "One point for you, Berserker, but I'm not done yet!"

He charged at the enemy Servant with his usual, overwhelming speed. The ground was shaking when two fierce forces clashed again.

"Saber!" Rin was mad and bloodthirsty, mostly because she couldn't do much to support her Servant. "Are you going to just stand and watch how Rider fights this beast alone?"

"I'm just an old geezer, it's only natural to let the youngsters let off some steam."

"Hey! He's not much younger than you!"

"I heard that, Master Rin!" Tsurumaru, although he was mostly dodging fierce attacks of the giant warrior at the moment, still was able to crack a joke or two. But that characteristic cocky smile had vanished from his face, which was enough for Tohsaka to guess that he's reaching his limits. Preventing him from using his Noble Phantasm against such powerful enemy may be fatal, if the balance of power on the battlefield is not going to change soon. "And I must protest – do not ever compare me with that antique over there! He could be my grandfather, if you want to know!"

"That's the spirit, Tsurumaru!" Mikazuki chuckled awkwardly and drew his weapon. The way he said Rider's name was a signal for both of them. Even Illyasviel, to this moment rather bored by the prolonging fight, curiously tilted her head.

Reading Saber's intentions perfectly, Tsurumaru immediately jumped back from his opponent. Mikazuki took his place in an instant, faster than a flash of golden light. When Berserker blocked the first swing of the crescent blade, Rider suddenly appeared behind him, ready to strike.

"They're… dancing," Shirou whispered, captivated by the view.

"Rather cornering him," Rin added, also staring at this dangerous spectacle with her eyes wide open.

"Brilliant, brilliant!" – said Mikazuki cheerfully, twirling around their stunned opponent. "It's been a while since we last fought side by side."

"Yeah." Now, with the situation again under control, Tsurumaru's wild expression was back, along with his usual sense of humor. "Not since the day we were partners, probably."

Then they charged simultaneously, releasing magical energy in shape of a crescent moon and white crane wing. Two waves crossed each other, like a giant 'X' on Berserker's chest.

"They got him!" Tohsaka clenched her fist in a winning gesture…

…but Illyasviel's predatory smile made her reconsider the situation.

"Berserker, you know what to do," said the white-haired girl and activated her enormous magic circuits, feeding her Servant with much more mana than he actually needed.

The red-eyed Servant shouted, releasing a terrifyingly huge amount of magical energy. Not only both attacking Servants were pushed back by this destructive wave – the road was almost destroyed and large stones were flying around.

"Tohsaka!" Shirou shouted, trying to break through this magical hurricane and save Rin, but his voice drowned in the noise of cracking stones.

* * *

So, new important characters appeared and things start to get serious. As for the famous 'Yorokobe shounen' scene – it happened almost like always and I will return to it later, I promise.  
Thank You for reading! And, as always, I would like to know what You think and will gladly answer Your questions.


	4. 3: Shadows From the Past

**Chapter 3: Shadows From the Past  
**

* * *

_"Don't you think that impaling you with a sword-shaped familiar seems just right?"_

* * *

Shirou and Rin would be smashed, if not Tohsaka's jewel shield, but even this protection did not last long. Emiya shouted something, instinctively activating strengthening spell on his forearms and trying to protect both of them with his own body. Despite all those desperate efforts, they ended up caught by the wave of energy and thrown to the ground few meters away.

For a moment Shirou couldn't see anything in the dust, only heard Tohsaka coughing next to him and ranting furiously, even louder than thunderbolts around them. He took it for a good sign – angry Rin meant alive and, most likely, undamaged Rin. Good, they all needed her strength and knowledge in this fight.

Although that powerful outburst of magic seemed destructive enough, Berserker clearly did not run out of tricks yet. The energy was still twirling around him, like a black, ominous hurricane, or a veil, protecting the warrior from physical and magical attacks.

"What a spiritual power!" Tohsaka seemed genuinely impressed. "There's so much it covers him like an armor!"

"But what should we do then?" Shirou winced, feeling hot blood on his forearms, where stuck pieces of asphalt. It wasn't especially high price for surviving the shockwave, to be honest. "If Rider and Saber cannot even break through, we'll lose."

"We may let them release their Noble Phantasms," Rin replied, but she did not seem very enthusiastic about her own idea. It was too soon, in her opinion, for such drastic methods. They were most likely observed by other Masters, it would leave them in great tactical disadvantage. "But there's still no guarantee that it will work."

"This war is going to be interesting." Mikazuki returned to his Master, nonchalantly wiping dust off his clothes. Except few bruises here and there, and a small red line on his right cheek, he seemed undamaged. "I may need to become serious sooner than I expected."

"What now?" Tsurumaru asked from one of the lanterns, where he perched like a creepy bird. He, too, was more angry than injured, mostly because his white robes were not such flawless anymore. "I like to be covered in blood, not dust, damn you!"

Berserker did not react to his verbal provocations, either too focused on gathering energy for his incorporeal armor or just waiting for his Master's commands.

Rin looked around, biting her lower lip in barely suppressed anger. She spotted Illyasviel in the distance – the Einzbern's Master was so sure she's already won, that she started to slowly walk back to her castle. Tohsaka felt a sudden desire to wipe that annoying smirk off the homunculi girl's face…

"I'm going after Illyasviel," she decided eventually. "You three must deal with Berserker until I'm done with her."

Shirou and the two Servants stared at Rin in ominous silence, devouring her words for a while, but none of them dared to oppose.

"Well, I suppose it's the best way to defeat them." Mikazuki frowned, not completely convinced. "But shouldn't you take Tsurumaru with you, Miss Tohsaka?"

She categorically shook her head in response.

"Not into a battle of mages. Besides, you will need all the help you can get to break through Berserker's defense."

"Tohsaka, I think…" Shirou wanted to say something, but Tsurumaru did not let him finish the sentence. He jumped down from the lantern so close to Emiya, that he almost bumped into him.

"We have no time for discussions anymore. You see, Berserker is going to charge again." He swiftly unsheathed his weapon and smiled to Tohsaka. "Do what you must, Master Rin. I'll be guarding you anyway."

"Hey, you…!" – she shouted, with a suspicious blush on her cheeks, but Rider did not hear her anymore, engaged in impossible exchange of blows with Oodenta. Having no more time to waste, Rin ran after Illyasviel. "Don't dare to die, any of you!"

"You too take care, Tohsaka." Shirou clenched his fists, ready to… do something, although he wasn't sure what exactly.

As expected, Tsurumaru did not manage to even scratch Oodenta. From the way he tried to avoid close contact with Berserker's energetic armor, Emiya guessed that touching it must be at least unpleasant for any attacking Servant.

"If you're tired, better sit down." Mikazuki glanced at Shirou, checking his general condition. Despite injured arms and some bruises, the boy looked relatively fine. "I'm going to take more of your energy."

"You will use your Noble Phantasm?"

"It's just a trick," Saber replied with a mysterious smile. "Since our goal is to break through…"

"Fine, I trust you. Don't worry about me. Go get him, Saber!"

"Understood, Master."

Mikazuki narrowed his eyes, clearing his mind and focusing energy. The golden dust of magic gathered around him, like petals at the moment of his summoning.

"Goami Flash!"

Streams of energy from the tip of Saber's sword flied towards Oodenta faster than the eye. They did no visible damage in the energetic barrier, but Saber kept firing them continuously with remarkable precision.

It reminded Shirou his training with a bow – hitting the same spot again and again, to achieve perfection. Like drops of water that can eventually destroy a rock.

But Berserker wasn't a shooting target and did not intend to stand still. Tsurumaru could take on no more than half of his ferocious attacks, so Mikazuki needed to avoid the rest – all while continuously attacking the same point with his energetic blades.

"Splendid," Shirou whispered, stepping back to not get in the way of dodging Mikazuki. This spectacle was too fast and flashy for his weary eyes, but Emiya did not intend to look away. Maybe he couldn't do more than giving Saber energy, but they were in it together and partners do not abandon each other.

The boy clenched his fists in silent determination. He would not lose his first battle in this war, especially with Kiritsugu's Saber by his side!

* * *

Although her plan to pursuit Illyasviel was logical, Rin quickly regretted putting it into motion. The Einzbern's Master was not a mage, but a beast, able to create familiars from a single hair! Tohsaka had really hard time defending herself from these annoying 'mini mages', and landing just a single blow on Illyasviel was nearly impossible for her.

Now, when she's used up most of her magical energy and decided to perform a desperate frontal assault, it became obvious that she had no chances of winning from the very start. The two remaining familiars changed shape from birds to swords and pierced Rin's jewel shield like it was made of butter.

"Don't you think that impaling you with a sword-shaped familiar seems just right?" Illya wasn't smiling, which made the entire situation even worse, but there was a trace of sadistic pleasure in her eyes. "Bye bye, Rin."

A barely audible shriek escaped Tohsaka's mouth when the silver blade finally moved to pierce her heart. There was nothing she could do, she had no time to use a Command Spell…

Something large, like a smudge of white energy, blocked her vision. It was Tsurumaru, who joined the battle at full speed, sensing that his Master is in danger. He destroyed one of Illya's familiars with a powerful strike of his sword, but the second one…

"Rin!" Having no other choice, Tsurumaru took the blow on his back. "Tch." Hissing painfully through clenched teeth, he got his Master off the ground and ran away as fast as he could.

"Rider, you're bleeding!" Rin could feel hot blood under her fingers, when she clung to Rider in the air. Not thinking much, she poured into him all healing magic she could in such circumstances.

"Yeah, I did not expect that a little girl can actually harm a Servant."

"But you're not going to…?"

"No, Master Rin. Don't worry, my core is untouched." He smiled mischievously, before adding quietly: "But if you keep embracing me so tightly, I will certainly give up the ghost."

The punch in the face he received in response wasn't truly unexpected.

"Who's embracing whom, you pervert?!"

* * *

"Oh?" Illyasviel raised an eyebrow, amused. "Faster than Saber? As expected from a Rider class." She chuckled to her own thoughts. When she spoke again, her voice was strengthened by magic to reach Tohsaka, hidden somewhere in the forest. "Be proud of your Servant, Rin, because he can rival even Saber! I changed my mind and will fight you later. It's better to get rid of boring stuff first, don't you think?"

"So you will just go away?" – came the response from the bushes.

"Yes. For now." Illya chuckled again, this time like a little kid. "It will be nice to observe you for a while. Come to me, Berserker."

Oodenta obediently materialized by her side, slightly bowing his head. Illya sighed overdramatically, seeing a small wound near his hip, where Saber managed to break the barrier and landed one or two blows.

"You shouldn't have let Saber touch you," she said, pouting like a displeased princess. "Next time smash him on sight, you have my permission."

"Of course, Master. This is what I intended to do, but the boy was in the way."

"Yes, yes, we don't want to let him die too soon. You did well, Berserker. Now take me home."

"As you wish." The tall warrior kneeled on one knee and hid Illyasviel in his strong arms. The girl clung to him tightly, barely able to surround his neck with her small arms. One powerful jump later they were soaring through the night sky towards the castle at the Fuyuki outskirts.

* * *

"That was brave, but not very wise," Saber said, staring persistently at Shirou. "I should remind you that a Servant is supposed to protect his Master, not otherwise, especially when we talk about a charging Berserker…" He sighed hopelessly. "But I'm sure you won't listen anyway. Youngsters can be truly troublesome these days."

When Tsurumaru had left the battlefield to save Tohsaka, Oodenta noticed his chance to smash the annoying swordsman. He sent a wave of energy towards Saber to slow him down and charged… but Shirou recklessly stood between the beast and its prey. He didn't think much about consequences at the moment, just wanted to give Mikazuki a second or two to prepare. And it worked, probably only because Illyasviel ordered her Servant to spare the boy for some unknown reason.

Well, it also poured new portion of determination and bloodlust into Saber - the rest of their fight was even more fierce than before and ended up with small wounds for both parties.

"It worked." Emiya shrugged. He needed a moment to recover from sudden dizziness, so he decided to sit on the sidewalk for a bit longer. "We're still alive, and that's the only thing that really matters."

Mikazuki only smiled in response. They let themselves rest a little, before Emiya stood up suddenly and stared at the trees behind their backs.

"What's wrong?" Saber raised an eyebrow, alarmed. He hasn't detected anything suspicious around.

"Nothing, I guess. I just thought I hear Tohsaka screaming… Do you think she's all right?"

"They're both fine. Tsurumaru is taking Miss Tohsaka home. We should go back as well. If you want to talk to them, it will have to wait."

"Right." Shirou sighed painfully. He felt so light and… hungry? Who would have expected that sharing energy with a Servant can be this draining. Or rather Shirou wasn't strong enough and trained to do so.

But they survived their first fight with a powerful adversary - and that was truly important.

Still, dark thoughts were haunting Emiya all the way back home. What father Kotomine truly wanted to tell him? What Kiritsugu tried to achieve? Why didn't he tell Shirou anything? Maybe he thought the boy is so useless, that it's pointless to teach him about advanced magic and Grail Wars? Then why Kiritsugu gave Mikazuki to Shirou?

Finally at home, after a short shower and wound care, when they sat to eat together, Saber brought up the most important topic.

"So… What did the priest say?"

"That the catastrophe from ten years ago happened because of the Grail War. The winner wished for destruction, and that's why..." Shirou involuntarily clenched his fists, fighting internally with his childhood nightmare. This was a battle Saber couldn't help him win, although he really wanted to. "Mikazuki, you were there, as Kiritsugu's Servant, am I right? Please tell me everything you know."

"Of course." Saber put down a cup with still hot tea and smoothed out his clothes, preparing for a serious talk. Those magical crescent eyes pierced through Shirou so intensively, that the boy almost shivered under his Servant's gaze. "But I'm not sure I'll be of much help in this matter. Honestly, I have no idea how all that mess ended."

"And why is that?"

"Because I couldn't win my last duel," Mikazuki replied simply. Even if he felt something about his failure, like anger or sadness, he did not show it. "My Servant form had vanished before the war reached its conclusion."

"Huh?" Shirou blinked, not sure what to think about it. What kind of a familiar was capable of beating Saber, who even managed to corner that overpowered Berserker? "But how?"

Saber sighed, thinking how to start his story.

"Did father Kotomine tell you that he, too, was a Master?" Shirou did not have to tell anything, his dumbfounded expression was enough for an answer. "That's what I thought. Then know that Kirei Kotomine was a Master of Assassin in the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, and, despite the unwritten rule that the Church should remain neutral, an ally of Tokiomi Tohsaka."

"Tohsaka? You mean… Rin's father?"

Saber nodded, carefully observing his Master. It seemed that Emiya was devouring the news with unusual composure and maturity. A small frown was the only sign of emotion on his pale, tired face. Mikazuki – again – felt proud of the boy and hoped he will overcome every hardship on his way to end this crazy war.

"It seems that Tokiomi Tohsaka was cheating from the very beginning. Not only he cooperated with the Church, but also modified the summoning spell. Well, they say it's nothing special, if someone wants to summon a Berserker, but this mage went even further. He had chosen the already mad and cursed blade, so much that after the summoning it kept attributes of both Berserker and Saber class. That Servant, officially registered as a Berserker, took a name of his creator, Sengo Muramasa."

Shirou's eyes widened in shock at this revelation. One doesn't have to be an expert to know this name. Swords forged by Muramasa were crazy and bloodthirsty, so much that their owners needed to cut themselves to feed iron with blood. There was no other way to calm down their raging spirits, as legends say. Eventually, every owner of such blade ended up as a mindless monster, slaying innocent people just to satisfy the eternal thirst of the demonic weapon.

Such stories were popular mostly among members of the Tokugawa family, to whom Muramasa's swords brought ill luck. Other versions pointed out the outstanding quality of the blades: 'They could cut through literally anything', people used to say. Not able to distinguish right from wrong, or justice from injustice, they were just perfect tools, dedicated to the single act of cutting through any material. If they really could mimic the mental state of their maker, no doubt he was misunderstood, although Shirou had his own theory about the real reason behind making those blades as they are…

Needless to say, whatever the truth about Muramasa was, the man himself remained shrouded in mystery.

"So you understand how unpredictable opponent such Servant can be? And don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to justify my failure." Something in Saber's eyes flickered dangerously, like if he was still fighting. Emiya had seen already such bloodlust in Tsurumaru, but for Mikazuki it was something new, and maybe even more terrifying. "It was a long fight and things got really violent back then. Our Masters were fighting as well. I assumed that mine won his battle, because he came back for me and picked me up from the ground before the flames and mud could consume me. Then I detected you, buried under the rubble, and Master hid me within you, saving us both… You know the rest."

"I see," Shirou whispered after a moment of intensive thinking. It seemed that Saber really doesn't know much about the story Kirei Kotomine had told the boy in the church. The fact that the priest cannot be trusted was important enough. Knowing your enemies is the key to survive the war, after all.

"Actually, I was sure that the younger father Kotomine died in the fire, but here he is, safe and as dangerous as ever." Mikazuki relaxed again and reached for the tea and sweets. "I'm afraid that Berserker, too, has survived."

"You mean that there's probably one more Servant in this war?"

"Y-hm," Saber replied, with his mouth already full of sweets.

"And you're so calm about it? Even if that Servant defeated you once?"

"Y-hm. I will not fall for the same trick again," Mikazuki stated so matter-of-factly, that Shirou did not know what to think about it. "Mmmm, this is delicious, Master. Too bad it would be heartless to ask you for more in your current condition."

Shirou sighed helplessly. Deep inside he was glad to see Mikazuki back to his normal self. For a moment he wondered if Kiritsugu would also make such a troublesome old man, if he still lived…

"It's fine, imokenpi is easy to make. Just help me with the potatoes and I will prepare the rest."

"Understood." But Saber did not move from his place on the pillow even for an inch.

"You won't help?"

"But I am helping." Saber smiled innocently. "I'm keeping you company. And you must admit that peeling potatoes with such an ancient blade would be a kind of blasphemy."

Shirou only shook his head, helpless against Mikazuki's logic. He kept reminding everyone that he's a blade – or an old man – only when it was beneficial for him. Treating him as a sword in any other circumstances would be a grave insult. Well, that's how he was… at least in Shirou's presence.

"Mmmm, delicious." Saber devoured another portion of sweets and his Master wished he could forget about troubles as easily as him.

"Does Tohsaka know all of this?"

"Judging from the way Miss Tohsaka treats Kirei… I doubt it." Mikazuki smiled, seeing obvious doubts painted on Shirou's face. "You wonder if it's good to tell her?"

Emiya nodded and stared even more intensely at his plate, as if he hoped to find an answer written somewhere under the sliced sweet potatoes.

"This is not the right moment to discuss it. First, you should eat. Sugar. A lot of sugar and good sleep will help you regenerate fast the energy I robbed you of tonight." Before Shirou managed to protest, Saber was already up and on his way out of the room. "Go to bed with your head empty and stomach full, then wake up with an empty stomach and many new ideas in your head. This is what an old geezer like me would do to gain people's respect, for being smart and all… Well, mostly."

"But I am not an old…" Again, Shirou wanted to protest, but was cut off in the middle of a sentence.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure you'll live long enough to become one." Mikazuki gave his young Master one of his mysterious crescent smiles. "That's the job of a Servant, right?"

* * *

It was almost dawn when Rin and Rider finally got back home. Two figures were waiting there, nearly at the doorstep of the residence: a tall, muscular man with a spear and much smaller woman in suit. They both had purple hair – this, and a general aura of warrior's pride, that emanated from their movements, made them matched perfectly.

"Lancer," Tohsaka hissed through clenched teeth and checked the spare jewels in her pocket. It was the worst possible place and time for another fight, but she couldn't just run away from her own territory, right? "I must say they have guts to come here. Were they trying to mess with the barrier around the mansion or just call us out, huh?"

"No idea." Tsurumaru shrugged, like he didn't even notice the danger. "Maybe we should ask them?" And, before Tohsaka could protest or call him an idiot, he came closer to the intruders, as cheerfully as ever. "Greetings! Forgive us, but it's already too late for tea parties. We do not welcome visitors like you in the daylight."

The woman's eyes narrowed, when she noticed stains of blood on Tsurumaru's clothes. In the pink morning light the exhaustion of those two was more than visible. No doubt they were trying to avoid the battle – they were an easy prey for her Lancer now. That's why she decided to chatter before crushing them.

"I can see that a Servant was defeated today," she said, trying to look more relaxed than she really was. "Would you mind telling us which one?"

"Who knows?" Tsurumaru's smile widened. "Why should I share such information with some random strangers?"

The woman almost chuckled at such provocation. She cleared her throat and announced:

"Fine then. I'm Bazett Fraga McRemitz, sent by the Mage's Association to participate in this War. And this is my Lancer class Servant. Since he has no weaknesses, he may as well introduce himself."

"Oh?" Tohsaka raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Her Rider, too, had no significant weaknesses, but she would still try to deceive the enemy by hiding his identity. She could at least keep bluffing that Tsurumaru possesses a secret skill or something. "That's a bold thing to say to the enemy a moment before an attack. Are you this arrogant or just… not very wise, huh?"

"We have nothing to hide, that's all." Lancer slightly bowed his head, paying respect to Rin and her Servant. "I, Tonbokiri of Muramasa school, one of the Three Great Spears of Japan, am honored to duel with you. Should we start then?"

Tsurumaru whistled through his teeth, recognizing another formidable enemy.

"So my next opponent will be the famous Dragonfly Cutter? What a surprise!" Rider's hand slowly landed on the hilt of his sword. "But to cut something you must first reach it. I won't just simply come to you, like a stupid insect."

"Birds or insects…" Lancer smiled, showing that he, too, is aware which Servant he's going to fight. "It doesn't really matter. Wings are easy to pierce with a spear."

"You're giving me no choice, I see." Tohsaka tensed and tightened her grip on the jewels, trying not to show how tired she already is.

"Calm down, Master." Tsurumaru smiled to her with his typical, gentle and playful expression. "I can handle this."

"You're tired and wounded. We both are." But she already prepared for the inevitable. It didn't look good, though. Tonbokiri was probably as strong as Berserker, and his weapon had much longer range. What's even worse, only the swiftest warriors classified as Lancers, so if he was also fast, Rider, in his current condition, might be in serious troubles.

It was too late for a change of plans - their battle has already begun. Even running away wasn't an option anymore. Tohsaka strengthened her arms and legs, guessing from Bazett's battle stance that the other Master will rather not use spells, but attack her physically. She and Lancer were about to charge forward, when…

"Wait!"

The challengers froze where they stood and looked at the roof of the nearest residence. Another Servant was sitting there, in a provocatively relaxed pose, playing with a gun in his hand. A simple but nicely forged uchigatana was hanging from his belt. He was dressed in mostly red clothes with some furry details, that made him look more like a big, friendly dog than a fierce warrior.

"Wait," he repeated, in neutral, almost cheerful tone. His accent seemed strange to Tohsaka – not only old, but also somehow provincial. "Maybe you forgot, but the sun has already risen. You don't want to be caught on breaking the rules, aren't you?"

"And what's your business in that?"

"Hmm, let's see…" His hazel eyes pierced Bazett, but his wide smile was devoid of malice. "I can get rid of two enemy teams at once by simply reporting to the supervisor that you broke the rules, especially if civilians are involved. I'm sure that other Masters will be ordered to unite and defeat you. That's an easy victory, don't you think?"

Tohsaka frowned, hoping that Lancer and his Master did not notice her doubtful expression. She wasn't so sure that Kirei will act according to the procedures. So this new Servant, most likely an Archer, was just bluffing.

In such situation, Rin had nothing against it and decided to not interfere. Tsurumaru, too, remained silent and focused, probably even more than during the fight with Oodenta. He already took a blow destined for her today and Tohsaka did not intend to sacrifice him any further.

Bazett looked like she was going to rip out Archer's heart with her bare hands. Being an outsider, she couldn't know how things work in Fuyuki, and Archer's bluff seemed logical enough to make her reconsider her plans.

"And what if I deal with you first?" – she asked, more bloodthirsty than her posture would suggest.

"Oh?" The man smiled again, tossing his revolver. The weapon clicked meaningfully when he put his finger on the trigger. "It won't be easy, I can assure you. And you don't look like someone who would risk fighting two on one for such stupid reasons."

"Two on one?"

"You don't expect us to help you, do you?" Tsurumaru sounded almost polite; it wasn't clear if he's trying to avoid conflict or is just using advanced sarcasm. "You invaded our territory. At dawn. I would never expect such dishonorable tactic from one of the Knight Classes."

Tonbokiri seemed moved by Rider's words. He did not say anything, though, only looked questioningly at his Master. The rest could almost feel the exchange of thoughts between those two.

"Fine then," Lancer said eventually, sounding seriously, like announcing something very important. "We can have our honorable duel later. I can take you two down anytime, even if you join forces."

Although it didn't actually sound like bragging, Tsurumaru couldn't hold a small chuckle.

"Lancers," he commented quietly, shaking his head. Even if the two intruders heard him, they did not show it, just slowly walked away.

Both Archer and Rider let themselves relax a bit, but Rin only narrowed her eyes and kept staring at the Servant on the roof. If her gaze could light things up, Archer's hair would already burn like a torch.

"Why did you interfere?"

"I thought I already explained it." The good-natured warrior shrugged, having nothing more to add. But Rin's adorably reproachful expression made him sigh and give up. "Fine, fine… Let's say that my Master tries to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. I would gladly chat with you longer, but I've been called home now, so… Till the next time!"

"Hey, don't think that you saved us or something! I don't intend to owe you!"

"Of course, Master of Rider!" He laughed, jumping from roof to roof, not even bothering to dematerialize. "Of course."

"What an interesting fellow, that Archer, using a gun and all…" Tsurumaru smiled to Rin and slowly followed her inside. "Don't you think we deserved a break today, Master Rin?"

"Not yet. Allowing the enemy getting so deep into our territory is unforgivable. We must improve the barriers first."

She checked the jewel in the garden, that formed 'a heart' of the security systems of the residence. All was working well and no intruder had been detected on the inner side so far. Then, alarmed by the fact that a gun-using Archer is nearby, Tohsaka strengthened every single window in the house. Tsurumaru, although he couldn't really help Rin, at least kept following her during this exhausting task, feeding her well and improving her mood with his specific jokes.

When the hard work was finally over, Tohsaka just fell limply on her bed, thinking that maybe an alliance with Emiya is not such a bad idea.

* * *

The chapter is done at last, yay! And a bit of explaining in this one, I hope You're not disappointed.

In case You wonder, there was once a collab event between Granblue Fantasy and Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu, that gave the players free SSR Mikazuki Munechika – and Goami Flash is the name of his first skill.


	5. 4: What Lurks in the Dark

**Chapter ****4: What Lurks in the Dark**

* * *

_"To break the spirit of a Sword Warrior and turn it into… this… Unforgivable!"_

* * *

The smell of decay and wet soil was overwhelming.

_It's probably a tomb_, Tohsaka realized, although she couldn't truly look around. She wasn't able to move either, which felt somehow disturbing at first.

Then she understood that, in this creepy dream, her body is made of steel.

Although literally imprisoned in a grave, Rin wasn't afraid of the dark. She rather felt... bored. But also certain that the waiting will soon be over. Someone will come for her – him? - again, powered by greed or other kind of desire. Humans are possessive creatures, after all, attracted to sparkling, pretty things.

And he'd been told, too many times, that he's bewitchingly beautiful. So much that people forgot about his main purpose – he supposed to be a tool that defends and kills, not a treasure.

Because of this long and painful misunderstanding, such gorgeous sword, a crane, that should give longevity and good luck to its owner, in reality couldn't save anyone. So maybe it was better to rot in a tomb than bring misfortune to someone he cares about?

"Tsurumaru…" She wiped off the remnants of that weird dream and slowly opened her eyes.

Birds were chirping cheerfully outside, praising the sun as usual. Nothing but few puddles remained from the last night's storm. Rider almost immediately knocked to her room – he probably was waiting in the corridor all morning just to greet and surprise his Master.

"Good morning, Master Rin! It's a…" It seemed that he ended up surprised instead. "What? Is there something on my face?"

Until he asked, Tohsaka didn't know she was staring at him so shamelessly. She tried to hide the embarrassment under a smile.

"No, I just realized that I forgot to thank you yesterday."

"What for?" He looked at Rin suspiciously, checking her general condition. Maybe she had a fever or suffered from some internal injuries? "It's a duty of a Servant to protect his Master."

"Maybe. But I'm really grateful for saving me. Thank you, Tsurumaru."

He blinked, surprised by such drastic change in Rin's behavior, but then just… smiled. Tohsaka, with her newly acquired knowledge, understood why such a tiny thing made him genuinely happy.

"Does it mean I can surprise you with a special breakfast, Master Rin?"

She swallowed, suddenly pale. She wasn't yet ready for this!

"I guess so... But just this once," she added hastily, seeing a wild sparkle in his eyes.

It wasn't as bad as she expected, though. Just very sweet, because Rider decided to mix various kinds of jam and put them on their toasts all at once. After all they'd been through last night, sugar seemed rather helpful, so Tohsaka didn't complain.

"What are your plans for today, Master Rin?" – Tsurumaru asked after the meal, when he was washing the dishes. No one really asked him to do it, but he seemed to have fun with simple human activities.

"I think we must talk with Emiya first."

"At school?"

"No, at his place." Tohsaka lazily stretched on the chair. "I'm taking a break from school for now, it's not wise to put the students in danger, when Archer and Lancer are sniffing around. Not to mention that weird Assassin." She sighed. "Besides, I want to speak with Saber. He remembers the last war, so…"

Rider only nodded, fully understanding her motives. He was also sure that Mikazuki will do what he can to help. Speaking of which…

"You want to propose them an alliance, Master Rin?"

"A ceasefire for sure, yes." She smiled triumphantly, seeing his reaction. "I suspected you'd be pleased about it."

"Sure, the more the merrier." Tsurumaru chuckled at Rin's serious expression. "I'm joking, just joking. Now seriously: they both seem reliable to me. That boy looks like someone who would rather hurt himself than betray you, Master Rin."

For some reason it didn't make Tohsaka happy. Not at all.

"So you've noticed it... That dark side of Shirou Emiya. The fact that he never smiles."

She stared at the window, deep in thoughts. Rider was observing her for a while from under his snow-white eyelashes.

"Don't worry, Master Rin." A warm, caring tune sounded in his voice. "He'll be fine as long as Saber is with him. Mikazuki may behave like a weird old man, but he treats his duties seriously."

_It seems to run in the family_, Rin thought and smiled to herself, suspecting that it will be a very good day.

* * *

"Since the day of your summoning I have a feeling that you would kill me, if you could."

Assassin shivered at the sound of his Master's voice. Although this movement seemed barely visible, he still was angry at himself for not being composed enough around this man… creature… or whatever category Matou Zouken belonged to.

"A sword cannot truly hurt its master," Assassin replied simply. "As a tool, it can only cut a finger, if its wielder is not careful enough. Or break when it's needed the most."

He couldn't see the old mage's reaction to this answer, just his motionless back on the chair. There was something inhuman in his silhouette, covered in the darkness of this ever-gloomy room.

"It's a shame you're just a tantou, Yagen." Zouken chuckled, and it wasn't an innocent, pleasant sound. "You have a dignity of a soldier and deserve more than to be a mere Assassin."

The Sword Warrior did not react to his words, just stood still, waiting for commands. He'd been summoned here to fight, not to be praised. And pretending to be a human being, with emotions and other stuff, felt totally unprofessional for him.

"You're right, Assassin, we should get straight to the point. Our plans have changed and I have a special task for you." Zouken's fingers caressed the knob of his staff, which looked like the mage's own bald skull. "The priest must be eliminated, I don't care how. He's changed the rules too much already."

"Understood."

The mage hummed, pleased by such simple answer. No complaints, no stupid questions, just willingness to act. Even if Assassin already realized, that this is a suicide mission, he didn't show it.

"Keep in mind that, if we let Kotomine do as he pleases, it won't be a Grail War anymore. Now go and don't come back until it's done."

Zouken didn't need to turn around to know that his Servant immediately left to take care of this important job. He didn't believe in Assassin's success, he had left behind hope and other pathetic emotions long ago. But one thing he knew for sure – desiring the Grail had no sense anymore.

The old mage smiled bitterly to himself. All that left for him in this war was a twisted pleasure of watching other Masters not getting what they wanted the most.

* * *

Shirou woke up to a smell of green tea and freshness of the morning air. Such characteristic draft could mean only one thing.

"Someone forgot to close the veranda door," he murmured half-consciously, stretching in his futon. Since no one else stayed for the night this time, it must have been Mikazuki's doing.

For a second Emiya wondered, if letting Saber wander alone is a good idea, but quickly shook off such stupid thoughts. Mikazuki wasn't a slave and could do what he wanted, as long as no one sees him. Besides, he probably was guarding the place, not simply enjoying his morning tea in the garden, right?

After a short shower Shirou joined the Servant outside. Saber smiled and patted the boards near him, showing the boy to sit down and talk for a while.

"Did you sleep well?" – he asked between slow, careful sips of his still steaming drink.

"Yes, thank you for advice." Indeed, he felt surprisingly well-rested, considering everything what'd happened yesterday. "I can think clearer than before. And there are some questions I forgot to ask."

Saber nodded, like an experienced old man, who knew he was right from the very beginning.

"What do you want to know?"

"Who is that girl named Illyasviel? And why did she call me her 'little brother'?"

Mikazuki sighed and slowly finished his tea.

"I didn't want to interfere with your family matters, but since it's been said already..." He put the cup away. "Illyasviel von Einzbern is a daughter of Irisviel von Einzbern and Kiritsugu Emiya."

Shirou was silent for a long moment, and Saber tried to not disturb him, understanding that his young Master needs to think it over. He waited patiently, motionless like a crescent moon, that watches the mortals from above, but does not stick its nose in their affairs.

"That… changes many things," Emiya said eventually, with a serious, almost painful, expression.

Mikazuki slightly tilted his head, like if he wanted to read Shirou's mind.

"Do you want to abandon the war?"

Shirou slowly shook his head.

"I would consider such option in different circumstances. But now, when I know that father Kotomine is plotting something, I can't turn my back on the war and its possible consequences." He sighed. "I may be weak, but with you I'm not powerless anymore. And I want to talk with Illyasviel. Explain some things. Understand each other, if it's even possible."

Saber reacted with one of his tiny, crescent smiles, and Emiya almost sighed again. He never knew what his Servant was truly thinking. Since getting nervous about it will bring him no good, he decided to just accept it and trust Mikazuki instead.

"I'm afraid it will be difficult, at least as long as Illyasviel is a Master," the swordsman noticed, helpful as usual.

"Then we will defeat Berserker." Shirou shrugged. "If this is what it takes to talk with her normally, it's already decided."

Mikazuki gave the boy a long, curious look, before he burst out laughing.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Impressive! So you want to defeat one of the strongest Sword Warriors just to talk with your sister? Ha, ha, ha!" He needed a moment to calm down. "This is wonderful! Know that I'm proud to be your Servant, Shirou Emiya."

"That's…" Shirou nervously ran a hand through his tousled hair, not sure if he'd been actually praised or ridiculed. "I just hope you won't change your mind, Saber."

"I've been observing you for the last ten years, you can hardly do something stupid enough to make me change my opinion about you."

"Right." Although it sounded like another half-praise, half-insult to him, Emiya just ignored it. "I didn't even know about your existence, until you suddenly decided to give me a hard time." He shivered involuntarily at the memory of a 'drill' whirling near his stomach. "Can you at least explain why you reacted to Tohsaka's presence like that?"

Mikazuki chuckled nervously, a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry for that, but it was the only way I could warn you that other Servants were nearby. Even with magic involved I was nothing more than a piece of metal back then."

"I see." Shirou frowned, thinking. His mysterious 'sickness' made sense now. Well, maybe not all of it. "I guess it's true in case of Tohsaka, but what about Sakura? There's no way she's a Master, right?"

The look Mikazuki gave him in response was hard to describe. Shirou blinked several times, oblivious to the meaning behind his Servant's silence. Finally, the realization fell on his head like a wet rag.

"Oh…" Cursing his own stupidity, Emiya analyzed the facts. "Are you sure, Saber? I mean… Wait, so that's why Sakura doesn't come to visit anymore?! We should speak with her too, I guess."

Before his Master managed to fully recover from the shock, Mikazuki was already on his way to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

"To prepare more tea," Saber replied flatly. "The one brewed by Tsurumaru was good, but I want to impress our guests with something special."

"Guests?" Shirou raised an eyebrow, not truly convinced, but joined his Servant inside and began the preparations. "Can you predict the future or something?"

"It's just experience. We can talk about it again when you reach my age, boy."

Shirou didn't comment it, moved by care and warmness in Mikazuki's voice. He let himself focus on planning the meal for four instead. After all, guests were easier to handle than weird thoughts or fights to the death… even if Tohsaka was one of them.

* * *

"Can you sense Caster from here?"

Lancer looked around with a worried expression. They stood on the stairs to the Ryuudou Temple, surrounded by trees and bushes. This tunnel of green and crouching shadows was a perfect place for an ambush, so they tried to be even more careful than usual.

"My deepest apologies, Master, but the mountain itself has a huge spiritual aura…" He shrugged, a bit embarrassed. "Even if all other Servants were hiding here, I probably couldn't tell. But there are some traces… like memories of emotions in the air. Someone tried to force his way through the main gate and failed."

"I see." Bazett focused. As a trained Enforcer she could easily detect Bounded Fields, and even disarm various types of barriers. The one around the gate, however, was far beyond her abilities. It seemed that the mage - probably Caster himself - every time personally decided, who may enter his domain, so the spell was hard to deceive or overwrite. But it wasn't particularly hostile towards them either. "Well, I guess we just have to go there and check it for ourselves."

Tonbokiri hesitated. He clearly didn't share the enthusiasm of his Master.

"Maybe we should rather focus on the enemies we've found so far and destroy them first?"

Bazett shook her head, proceeding up slowly but with a graceful self-confidence.

"We know their locations, it will be difficult for them to hide now. It's wise to know every enemy first, so we can plan our tactics ahead."

Lancer hummed something to himself and nodded, satisfied with such explanation. He followed her up the stairs, but stopped after few steps, alarmed by a strange sound in the distance.

"Look out, Master!"

A blurred humanoid shape flew out off the bushes above their heads.

"Assassin!" Tonbokiri didn't wait and charged at the enemy Servant, but the small tantou-wielder dodged him smoothly in the air.

"Calm down, Lancer, I'm not here to fight you," he said, when he landed on a branch. It looked like he was running from some unknown danger. "I'm sure you'll understand that I had no other choice."

"What are you talking about?"

Before Assassin managed to answer, the air froze suddenly around them, like if something sucked out the oxygen and replaced it with dark magic. Bazett immediately took a 'back to back' position with her Servant, ready to fight.

"What's happening?" – she asked, observing the shadows, which thickened slowly and formed an army of more or less humanoid wraiths. Their auras were similar to that of Touken Danshi, but weaker and a lot darker. "Who sent them after you, Assassin?"

"You'll see soon enough." Yagen rolled his eyes, seeing Tonbokiri's angry face. "Don't give me that look, it's a small fry for great warriors like you two. See you later!"

And he just resumed his wild charge through the sleeping city, pretending that the shadow assaulters were not his problem anymore.

"You little…!" For a second Lancer looked like he wanted to follow Assassin, but the wraiths attacked before he could make a move. He knocked down the first wave with a burst of energy, like an angry grim reaper.

Behind him Bazett took care of another group with her magically strengthened fists. One blow meant one defeated enemy. She kept destroying them like a fighting machine, without any signs of fatigue, but...

"Is it me or they're just keep coming?" – she asked eventually, realizing that this methodical extermination had no visible effects.

Lancer shrugged; with so many enemies around he preferred to focus on the fight.

"You can just leave them to me, Master. They're so week I can go on all night," he said, mostly to cheer Bazett up. "No, wait, I can sense something. Another Servant has arrived. Stay alert, Master!"

Indeed, a tall, muscular figure emerged from the shadows near the temple gate. His ridiculously long hair seemed to move on its own and his eyes emitted an otherworldly, demonic light. The wraiths gathered at his feet like an obedient pack, waiting for orders of their leader.

"It... can't be!" Lancer almost dropped his weapon, when he recognized the Servant surrounded by shadows. "You are… THAT Demon Blade!"

Bazett swallowed slowly behind his back, impressed by the raw power of this additional Servant. He was insanely strong, as expected from a Saber-Berserker hybrid.

"Is he…?"

"Yes." Lancer usually sounded serious, but this time a completely new tune ringed in his deep voice. Bazett wasn't yet sure if this was sadness or a completely different feeling. "The infamous cursed blade of Muramasa school. My kin."

"Huhuhuhuhu, isn't it Tonbokiri?!" The weird Servant raised his hand in a welcoming gesture. At this signal the sword-wraiths disappeared into thin air. "In celebration of our unexpected reunion… shall I undress? Oh, and forgive me this commotion. They're like brainless hounds, once they're ordered to attack, they don't really care who's the target."

"_They_?" Bazett raised an eyebrow, trying to understand what's actually going on. "What are _they_?"

"You really can't tell, mage?" The mad Servant tilted his head; it was hard to tell if he's amused or rather disappointed. "I expected more from Tonbokiri's Master."

Bazett gave him a furious look, but did not say a thing. She kneeled on one knee to examine the remnants of defeated wraiths.

"They're…" Her eyes widened at the sad and terrifying truth. "Broken swords turned into shadow Servants?"

"Why? How could you?" Lancer's hands, clenched on the spear, were shaking from anger. "To break the spirit of a Sword Warrior and turn it into… this… Unforgivable!"

"Huhuhuhuhu, why are you so nervous, brother? I don't want to fight you." The mad warrior didn't react openly to Lancer's outburst, but Bazett noticed that his hand moved slightly down and found the hilt of the sword. She took it for a good sign – the other Servant recognized Tonbokiri strength, maybe even feared him. "I was just following that dirty little rat, but since fate brought us together again, I may have a proposition for you…"

"First explain yourself!" Lancer coldly interrupted this chaotic speech. "Or I'll cut you down, like a fiend you've become."

Bazett was observing them in silence, barely able to breathe. The tension between both Servants felt unbearable, even for her. They were so alike, yet so different… She suspected that the entire mountain would suffer from their clash, and could do nothing to stop it.

Surprisingly, the swordsman was first to retreat. Either he told them the truth and meant no harm or he was plotting something. But who can actually guess the motives of a madman?

"Fine. But not here. Not now." He turned around, nonchalantly showing them the way. "Meet me at the church. I'll be waiting."

He disappeared as suddenly as he had arrived, taking the darkness with him. Bazett could swear that, when it was finally over, the entire Mount Enzo breathed out a sigh of relief.

* * *

Sorry if You expected more action, but I felt like some things needed to be said at last. Such chapters are important as well, for the sake of the entire story.

Thank You for sticking around for so long. Don't hesitate to leave a comment, I really love to read them!


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